The Flames That Bind Us (Daughter of Fire #1)
Ch.17 Let Your Hair Down

The rest of the day went by in a blur. I had spent most of it reading the book I bought from the fair and trying not to think further of Aramis` words. Each time I caught my thoughts drifting there, I groaned and buried my face in the book.

I just didn`t understand how I would make the king sleep with me if he won`t even look at me for five seconds? And I still had that short conversation—if I can even call it that—to dwell on. I remember standing there for a couple of minutes trying to register the fact that the king had said words to me that weren`t insults, threats, or orders.

He actually thanked me—poorly if I may say—but he thanked me, nonetheless. And I honestly didn`t know what to feel about that.

So I decided to cast away all these thoughts and shut my eyes until the next morning. I would worry about it after I had some decent sleep and fed my stomach well.

However, when the following morning came, I was whirled awake by the sound of the door as it burst open. I didn`t even have time to comprehend what was going on. Luxus had fallen out of the bed with a loud shrike, and I had shoved my head out of the pillow I was drooling over.

My hair blocked my view, but I could hear the sound of high heels marching over the floor, then the curtains of the windows being slid open, streaming in the sun’s blinding light that made me hiss and squint my eyes shut.

What the hell is going on? What time is it?

From the gaps of the strands that fell over my eyes, I could see that it was eight in the morning. And before I could even blink, the covers were pulled away from my body, and I sat up looking like a confused, slightly panicked animal, brushing my hair away.

“Rise and shine, beautiful! We`ve got a big day ahead of us!” a woman I recognized vaguely beamed at me as her eyes traveled over my appearance.

“Uh…what?” I managed to say groggily, trying to rub away the sleep from my eyes.

She didn`t seem to notice my confusion. She just paced around the bed, looking around the room as if she was searching for something. I caught sight of Luxus climbing the sheets of the bed with his tail hung up. He edged closer to me and curled up at my side, still looking at the stranger woman.

She wasn`t a maid, that`s for sure. She dressed up all nice and had her long, bright pink hair in a side braid. She was the same woman whom I had seen when I fell down my balcony. But I didn`t know her name, nor what in Ignolia was she doing here so early in the morning.

“Ah, there it is!” She seemed to have found what she was looking for, heading into my walk-in wardrobe. I saw her disappear in there, and in a few minutes, she came back with a gleaming smile. “I knew it! You don`t have a dress. That will make my work easier.”

“And what are you still in bed for? Come on, get up and wash that pretty face of yours.” She motioned with her hands then tried to pull away the rest of the covers.

Luxus gave a protesting shrike when she yanked the blanket he folded himself in. I tilted my head, my mouth parted. “Um…I`m sorry. But…who are you?” This time, I sounded less sleepy and more confused than ever.

She laughed. “Ah, of course, how silly of me. My name is Lysa, and I`m the one who makes all the fabulous dresses here.”

“So…you`re a seamstress?” I found myself asking.

She scoffed, though it did not suit her beautiful face. “Oh, don`t say that! That`s such a medieval term. You sound just like Gabriel. I prefer the word ‘designer.’”

“Sorry. But, um…I still don`t know why you`re here, though.”

I didn`t want to sound rude, and she didn’t seem like she thought I was anyway. She clapped her hands together as if she was waiting for me to ask that, her face becoming even brighter if possible.

“That will be answered as soon as you get refreshed. Come on, now, off you go.”

And with that, she literally dragged my arm and pushed me gently towards the bathroom. I didn`t say anything as I lazily walked to the door and shut it behind me. To be honest, I was afraid she would burst through the bathroom door any minute now. But thankfully, she didn`t, and I did what I had to do in a few minutes of confused silence.

After washing up and brushing my teeth, I stepped outside to see her asking Luxus if he could do tricks.

“No, I can only speak, ma`am. I don`t do backflips,” he told her in a bored tone, licking his paws.

“Curious,” she looked at him interestingly. “That`s the first time I`ve seen a talking cat in my many years of living.” At this point, she was poking him, and I had to stifle my giggles at the offended look Luxus gave her. “I wonder what kind of spell was cast on you.”

“It`s a potion that did this to him, by accident, really,” I informed her as I walked to my mirror and started combing my hair, grimacing at its chaotic state. Sheesh! Did a hurricane come by my room yesterday? Cause I don`t remember having such bad morning hair.

Lysa seemed to lose interest in Luxus and skipped towards me. “Okay! We`ve got no time to waste. First, we need to take measurements.”

“Measurements for what?” I asked as I put the hairbrush back, turning to face her.

She grinned again. “Well, for your dress, silly! I can`t wait to start working on it!”

“What dress?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Your ball dress, of course. Lis didn`t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

Okay, I was feeling entirely like an idiot right now. I asked too many questions, but it wasn`t my fault I didn`t know what she was talking about.

“We are having a ball two days from now. It`s Imarina`s grand ball, and everyone who is everyone is invited, of course. We are celebrating Imarina`s culture and its years of glory,” she said every word with pride and admiration.

But that still didn`t answer what it had to do with me.

“So,” she went on, “It`s natural for you to be invited, Lis insisted. She also insisted that I make you the finest dress there is, and I would never miss out on the opportunity to make a dress for a Slifer!”

Me? Invited for a ball? Well, that isn`t good.

First, I`m pretty sure that the king would be there, and I didn`t know what he would do if he saw me there since he made it clear that he didn`t want me mingling with the likes of him. And second, I wasn`t sure how I felt about it either. Sure it was nice to go to a ball where there would be many interesting people, but I didn`t want to be ogled at—especially being a Slifer. I couldn`t even stand how people from Vera looked at me as if I was carrying an extra head. And having the eyes of hundreds of high-classed people seemed even worse.

“Err, look…I`m flattered. But I don`t think I want to go—“

“Why not!?” She cut me off, looking horrified and slightly offended. “You have to come! People will be all over you.”

“That`s exactly why,” I rubbed my arm uncomfortably. “I don`t like having all this attention.”

“Pfft!“ She waved a hand. “Trust me when I say you`re not going to be the only one with the attention. That Water Slifer will be there with King Morrison. She`s such a sweet girl. I made a dress for her too. She kept blushing and thanking me all day.”

Wait, Ayana is coming too? Well, this might change things a little.

I mean, I may not feel like such a weirdo with her there. And I wanted to talk to her more often. I didn`t have time to get to know her because, quite frankly, I didn`t know where she stayed in the castle. She must have been staying with King Morrison in a different wing than mine, so that`s why ever since the funeral, I hadn’t seen them.

But I still wasn`t very sure. “I don`t know. I don`t want to bother you—“

“Rubbish!” This clearly didn`t sit well with her. “You would be doing me a huge favor. Ever since I laid eyes on you, I kept thinking of many dresses to put you in. So, you would be helping me a lot. It`s not every day that I get to dress such a beautiful Slifer like you.”

That made heat rise to my cheeks, and I smiled shyly at the ground. I wasn`t used to receiving compliments, and getting one from a fairy—who were beautiful creatures—was highly flattering.

She suddenly grabbed me by the hands, looking at me with pleading eyes. “So, would you please, please, please let me dress you up? It`s bad enough when Gabriel kicked me out for offering to dress him as well. I don`t need you to reject me too.”

“Um-“

“Come on! You could think of me as your fairy godmother.” She winked, and I couldn`t help the smile that took over me. There was something about her that immediately warmed my heart, and I found myself wanting to get closer to her.

I guess it was in the nature of fairies to be friendly and welcoming, but whatever it was, it made me trust her enough, and I honestly didn`t want to disappoint her when she seemed so eager to make a dress for me.

What`s the harm, Lydia? It`s not every day that you get a dress made especially for you, so take what she was offering and enjoy it. And so I agreed, and she seemed to be ready to bust her wings out and soar high into the sky.

“Oh, I know exactly what kind of dress I`ll be making for you, and it`s going to be a surprise. I`ll even make a little tunic for your cat too.” She beamed at Luxus, and he returned it with a frightful look, his ears tucking into his head.

I burst into giggles. Luxus hated being dressed in anything –It was either a ribbon or nothing.

“Okay, first things first. We start with your size,” she pulled out a measuring tape from her purse, charmed it using her magic, and it floated behind her as she walked. “Now, take your clothes off.”

Okay, maybe I should have thought this through. But without even attempting to protest—because I knew for some reason she won’t have it—I started taking off my nightgown and my bra.

The measuring tape hovered around me, and I lifted my arms above my head just like Lysa instructed, feeling very exposed and far from comfortable. But I just told myself the sooner I did it, the sooner it would be over.

The tape took the size of my torso, breasts, waist, hips, and the length of my arms and legs while Lysa scribbled down the numbers on her notebook. After it was over—thankfully—Lysa smiled as she wrote down the last one then undid the charm on her tape, stuffing it back in her purse while I re-dressed.

“Okay, your sizes are compatible with idea number two. I have the perfect color for it!” she said excitedly.

“Can I see it after you`re done?” I asked, feeling a bit nervous cause I didn`t know what kind of ideas she had for me.

“Nope, top confidential! You`ll see it when it is time for the ball,” then she turned to Luxus. “Hey cat, mind if I ask what your favorite color is?”

Luxus, however, looked at her for a second then ignored her, getting back to licking his paws. But she didn`t look insulted. She just waved her hand around. “That`s alright. I`ll just match the color with the dress.”

That earned her a hiss from Luxus.

“Luxus! That`s rude,” I scolded, but he turned his head away.

“It`s fine. Cats don`t like us fairies. I don`t know why, though. I guess it`s because we`re too bright for them.”

She wasn`t wrong. Cats, for some reason, didn`t like fairies or any creature that represented the light. It`s not that they liked creatures of the dark since they were afraid of them; it`s just that they preferred the shadows.

“Well,“ Lysa checked the time on her wristwatch. “I better be going then if I wanted to make your dress in time. See you in two days, Lydia. It was nice to meet you at last.”

She kissed my cheeks before grabbing her purse and dashing out of the room. I watched as she slammed the door shut, my mind processing the last thirty minutes that happened. It`s like the moment she was gone, I had forgotten that a fairy had woken me up this morning and demanded to make a dress for me.

“She`s weird,” Luxus commented from behind me.

I turned back to look at him then back to the door. I shrugged, smiling. “I like her.”

***

Two days went by, and either I spent every hour in my room or worrying about Lysa’s dress. Like always, food was brought to my room three times a day, and it only increased the feeling of being treated like a prisoner –except that I actually was free to roam around the palace. But for some reason, I had chosen to stay in my room.

I finished the book I bought in a day and a half and spent most of the time doing exercises and watching over the garden. I had gone to the woods for a couple of hours for some fresh air, then went back to my room for dinner.

When the day of the ball came, both my excitement and stress increased. I was excited because Lysa would bring my dress for me in a few hours, and I couldn`t wait to see it. But I was also worried that I wouldn`t like it because her taste might be different than mine, but all I could tell myself was that I needed to trust her judgment.

I had been thinking about the ball and the dress that I hadn`t thought about what Aramis told me, so I pushed it all away until the ball was over.

Maybe I could ask the king for a word? Perhaps I could talk to him about it first, and we could possibly decide on a schedule?

A schedule for sex!? How pathetic am I?

I drifted all these thoughts away, deciding that I wouldn`t be thinking about the king tonight even if he was right in front of me. Tonight will be just about me showing up in what I hoped was a pretty dress and talking to Ayana, the princess, and other interesting people.

It was now six o`clock, and the ball was two hours away. I could see guests arriving early, escorted through the garden. I caught glimpses of their beautiful gowns and spectacular jewelry. My stomach churned with glee, replaceing myself wanting to go downstairs and see those people up close.

Maybe it was because the only constant human-ish interaction I had for these weeks was with Princess Lis, the king, Aramis, and Lysa. The maids didn`t count because I only greeted them in the morning. And Luxus doesn`t count because he`s a cat.

And just as I was backing away from the balcony, the door of my room opened again. And this time, it wasn`t a maid who had come through. Lysa was accompanied by two other women I didn`t know, and they were carrying so many things I didn`t dare to recognize one.

“Hey! Hope we`re not late,” said Lysa as she glanced at the clock.

“Not at all.” I shook my head, smiling at her mainly because she looked so beautiful and radiant. Her dress was blue and decked with so many shimmering crystals it almost looked like it was made of ice. Her hair and make-up were done so perfectly you would just want to stare at her face all day.

“You look so beautiful.”

“I know, sweetie. But today is not about me.”

She laid out what seemed like a dress on my bed, but a black sheet draped over it, so I couldn`t see it completely.

“Those are Nisa and Vircha. They`re going to help you with make-up and hair.” She pointed at the two women who came along with her. And they were fairies, too, from their purple and green-colored hair.

She breathed out a huge sigh. “I worked very hard on this, and I think it came out exactly how I visualized it. Now, all that is left is for you to take a look at it and decide.”

I glanced down at it, not wanting to show her I was hesitant to take a look and replace something completely hideous. Luxus was curled up near the dress, giving me a look that said, ’if you don`t like it, I would be more than happy to shred it apart.

So without even picking it up, I removed the black cover and gasped out loud. My heart gave out a leap, and I couldn`t help it when I placed my palm over my chest. “Oh my…” I whispered as my eyes traveled over the most beautiful gown I had ever seen in my life.

Lysa smirked proudly at my reaction.

I traced the soft fabric between my fingers, loving the feeling of how it seemed to melt under my skin. “Lysa, it`s beautiful. It`s so…overwhelming.”

I turned to her, my face mirroring how I felt.

I really did feel overwhelmed. This dress was so beautiful I didn`t deserve it. Or maybe I just wasn`t fit for it, even though I knew it was designed to suit every inch of me. How am I going to go down wearing this? I wasn`t sure I had enough confidence to walk so boldly while wearing such an eye-catching dress.

“You deserve it. This dress is you. No one else can wear this.”

My eyes stung, and I felt stupid for wanting to cry. Why did I feel so emotional? It was just a dress. Except it wasn`t. It was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me.

“Thank you.”

I realized my voice was a bit choked-up, but she only gave me a kind smile that reminded me of the princess`.

“Ready to put it on?”

And so they spent the next two hours getting me all dolled-up while I sat there looking awkward. They styled my hair and put so many brushes in front of me that I was afraid I would look like a clown for a second. Then, and what seemed like a lifetime, they finally put me in the dress and walked me to the mirror.

If seeing the dress made my heart leap, then seeing myself made it burst.

“Holy shit!”

I heard the women giggle at my choice of words, but I only had my eyes glued to my reflection. The girl in front of me wasn`t the same one who was self-conscious of her hair and her eyes. The girl in front of me showed them proudly to the world.

The dress I wore was the color of roses, a mesmerizing red. It was an off-shoulder dress that showed my brown-skinned shoulders, neck, and collarbones. From above, the dress had a tight bodice that curved around my waist and gave my breasts a seductive shape.

Towards the middle, it was the exact color of my hair; fire. And like fire, it flared into different shades from red to orange, making it seem like real-life flames were burning at the bottom. The sleeves flared and had a slit that reached my elbow, and the ruffles matched the multi-colored shades of the skirts.

My hair was styled so that it was left in its natural waves, all the way to my waist. But Vircha took two small sections and braided them down its length. They ruffled my hair to give it more volume and further add to the color of my dress. A black choker-necklace was clasped around my neck, and two black-stone earrings hung from my earlobes.

My make-up was done very simply, using a dragon stone (a very traditional way) to apply a black coating to my eye-lids that made my eyes gleam. They also used a dark-red mermaid pearl to make my lips look fuller.

“I-I don`t know what to say.” I tore my eyes away from the mirror to the smiling woman behind me. Lysa was forcing a very small tunic the same color as my dress down Luxus` head, and that made me laugh out loud, for she struggled with him for a few minutes.

Eventually, she won. “Oh, you don`t need to say anything.” She huffed, tucking her hair back and grinning at a screeching Luxus.

“You look cute,” I teased him.

“Shut up,” he grunted.

“Now, the last touch.” She motioned at Nisa, and the green-haired woman placed black high-heels in front of me. Thankfully, they weren`t too high that I couldn`t walk in them. I put them on, feeling content that they were comfortable.

“Alright, now it`s the time for the grand entrance!”

That made the joy lessen slightly. Oh, I forgot that I had to appear in front of hundreds of people looking like this. Can`t I just have the ball in my room?

Lysa offered me her arm, and I tried my best not to look as reluctant as I felt. Luxus trailed after us, looking quite grumpy, as we exited my room and headed for the main hallway.

As far as I knew, the ball was held inside the grand ballroom, used to house the most considerable number of guests Imarina could invite. So, it was safe to assume it was pretty big –and that only furthered the anxiety forming in my stomach.

Maybe it was best if I didn`t eat anything tonight…

As we got nearer and nearer, my tummy dropped lower and lower, for I couldn`t mistake the loud voices of chatting people even if I wanted to. We descended down the grand staircase to see a couple of guards and butlers standing by ornamented double doors. And from the sound of it, I would bet my life there were about a hundred people right behind those doors. Maybe more.

“Don`t worry. You`ll be fine.” Lysa patted my hand reassuringly, and I nodded quickly at her, choosing to stay quiet, for I was afraid I would puke if I opened my mouth.

Maybe it wasn`t too late to turn back now?

No! What are you saying, Lydia? You`re going to waste such a beautiful dress and a marvelous occasion just because you felt socially awkward? I won`t let such feelings stop me from enjoying this evening.

I never cared what others thought about me back in Vera, so why should I care what those people behind the doors? Sure, their stares and pointing always felt rude and hurtful, but I always dismissed it.

Besides, it might be just like Lysa said. Maybe seeing a Slifer to them wasn`t such a big deal unlike the folks from small towns? Maybe they won`t care after all?

Yeah, maybe that`s precisely how it is. I would walk straight into the room, and no one would pat an eye at me. No one would turn my way or even acknowledge me.

But unfortunately, I was deeply wrong.

Because as soon as those doors were pulled open and Lysa and I stepped inside the marble floor, everyone whipped their heads to look at us. And the once lively room turned deadly silent.